‘Nasty, arrogant, frozen-yogurt-brained bully playing the victim in a pathetic manner.’ That was the sentence used to describe singer Demi Lovato this morning by none other than Piers Morgan. You know, the incredibly sweet, innocent Piers Morgan that never bullies anyone? The brave, noble Piers that can be held accountable for his own words, never storming out of work or quitting his job at the small request of compassion. Yeah, that guy.
The ex-Good Morning Britain presenter came after Demi Lovato in a column for the Daily Mail today, attacking her for ‘trying to ruin small family businesses during a pandemic’ because she pointed out that a frozen yoghurt shop in Los Angeles called The Bigg Chill used problematic messaging for people with eating disorders.
Now, she’s trending high on Google Trends with ‘Demi Lovato big chill’, ‘Demi Lovato frozen yogurt’ and ‘Demi Lovato froyo’ all major search terms. According to Demi, the display of diet, sugar free and ‘guilt free’ options in the shop she entered was particularly triggering for her as someone in recovery from anorexia.
‘For a lot of people who have struggled with anorexia, fro-yo is something I would go to because it was low calorie and felt safe to me,’ Demi explained on Instagram. ‘I know that people struggle with fro-yo because of eating disorders so that’s why I’m so sensitive when I walk into a fro-yo place and I see diet stuff.
‘I’m protective of the little girl inside of me that didn’t get someone saying at a young age “all of this diet stuff is not okay, you’re worth more than that”’ she continued. ‘This is a hard thing to live with on a daily basis, the thing about overcoming drug addictions was I can walk away from that and never touch it again for the rest of my life, but I do have to eat three times a day so this is something that will be with me [forever].’
What Demi didn’t realise, which she explained in her video, was that a lot of the options on display were in order to cater to certain physical conditions or dietary requirements, like coeliac celiac disease and diabetes. That’s something The Bigg Chill explained on their Instagram, stating ‘we are not diet vultures. We cater to all of our customers' needs for the past 36 years. We are sorry you found this offensive. We carry items for Diabetics, Celiac Disease, Vegan and of course have many indulgent items as well.'
Although, many have pointed out that low-sugar items are not necessarily built with diabetic people in mind, as they often contain sweeteners as a replacement that are equally harmful to diabetics. However, after this statement and Piers' vile abuse, Demi went on to apologise to the business, explaining that if these yogurts had been signposted for specific dietary requirements, she would’ve understood.
‘People with eating disorders should be able to go in and feel safe wherever they go to eat, that’s all I’m asking so I’m so sorry if it got misconstrued,’ she said.
Given the current conversation ongoing about eating disorders, her point is clearly valid. Eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness in the UK, and in the US too they’re second only to opioid overdoses. It’s worth asking then, if the shop can cater to physical ailments so well, why not mental too?
It’s a valid question, and one Demi as a survivor has every right to ask regardless of her follower size – after all, she is representing millions of people, in the UK 1.25million have an eating disorder while in the US, figures estimate 28.8 million Americans do too. Why then must Piers Morgan jump down her throat in the vilest of fashions, just for asking for some consideration for mentally ill people?
He might have a personal relationship with the store, as implied by his news column, in which he details visiting often, and he may be passionate about saving small businesses, but is that any reason to attack her as a ‘nasty, arrogant bully’ – words that are so often rooted in misogyny and used against women, particularly women of colour?
Looking at Piers' history, it seems that any woman who dares to show any vulnerability online is prime real estate for a verbal attack. And knowing Demi’s history, it’s even more concerning he felt now was an appropriate time to launch an all-out smear campaign against her. Just weeks ago, Demi’s documentary 'Dancing with the Devil' was released on YouTube where she detailed her pained history with addiction, eating disorders and rape.
Does he spin a bottle, let it land on the first female celebrity he’s intimidated by and go from there?
She bared her soul in that documentary, highlighting how public pressure and media attacks had driven her into the darkest times of her life. This woman has survived so much trauma, finally opening up about the most harrowing parts of her life, her eating disorder being one of them, only for someone with immense power and privilege himself to attack her as soon as she dares to speak out against something she finds triggering.
Does he spin a bottle, let it land on the first female celebrity he’s intimidated by and go from there? Or is he simply so fuelled by misogyny and what it does for the Daily Mail’s digital traffic targets that a woman merely using the word ‘triggered’ fires off his ‘ATTACK’ impulse. Either way, Demi should rest assured to know that when Piers Morgan takes issue with you, it usually means you’re doing something right. Just ask Meghan Markle.
Read More:
Demi Lovato And Jameela Jamil Have A Point About Why Food Should Never Be Labelled 'Guilt-Free'
Don't Tell Demi Lovato, Or Any Woman Who Has Suffered With An Eating Disorder, To Go On A Diet